Old Lace (Earth-616)
Lace | Identity = No Dual | Affiliation = | Relatives = Gertrude Yorkes (owner) Chase Stein (former owner) | Universe = Earth-616 | BaseOfOperations = The Hostel, Bronson Canyon, California; formerly Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California; undisclosed location in/near Los Angeles, California; Dinosaur World; Malibu House, Malibu, California; Manhattan, New York City, New York; The Hostel, La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles, California; The Hostel, Bronson Canyon, California; Los Angeles, California; 87th Century | CharRef = | Gender = Female | Height = 6'11" | Height2 = (including tail) | Weight = 334 lbs | Eyes = Red | Hair = No hair | UnusualFeatures = Tail, fangs, scales; nose ring piercing on nostrils | Citizenship = | MaritalStatus = Single | Occupation = Adventurer | Education = | Origin = Genetically engineered dinosaur from the 87th Century | PlaceOfBirth = Earth in the 87th Century | Creators = Brian K. Vaughan; Adrian Alphona | First = Runaways #2 | Quotation = Man, why couldn't my 'rents have given you to me for my Bat Mitzah, Old Lace? A telepathic velociraptor from the 87th Century would have made middle school a lot more tolerab--uhn! | Speaker = Gert Yorkes | QuoteSource = Runaways Vol 2 1 | Overview = Old Lace is Gert Yorkes's pet Deinonychus that was genetically engineered in the 87th Century by Gert's parents to protect her through a psychic link. | HistoryText = Origins Old Lace was a genetically engineered dinosaur (possibly a Deinonychus, though she was originally believed to have been a velociraptor) from the 87th Century. Dale and Stacey Yorkes used their 4-D Time Portico to travel into the future and commissioned Old Lace. They originally planned to have the dinosaur act as a protective weapon for their daughter, Gertrude Yorkes. Runaways Although Old Lace was designed to be activated after Gert's 18th birthday and/or if her parents died, but while searching for evidence and the body of a girl killed by the Pride in the Yorkes' basement, the Runaways stumbled onto a holographic message from Gert's parents, the Pride's Abstract, and Old Lace. Although Old Lace was originally left at the Yorkes, she followed the Runaways to the Steins' home and saved Gert's life. ]] After rescuing Molly, narrowly escaping their parents, and taking refuge in The Hostel, Gert suggested taking on new codenames to start over without the influence of their parents. She chose the codename Arsenic and named her new pet dinosaur "Old Lace". The pair were immediately connected, and their bond continued to strengthen with time. When facing off with The Pride in the Marine Vivarium, Arsenic had instructed Old Lace to follow Alex's commands if anything happened to her. Unfortunately, after taking down the Deans, Arsenic was incapacitated by Alice Hayes. Luckily, Arsenic and the others were able to escape in the Leapfrog before the Gibborim destroyed the Marine Vivarium, killing Alex and all the members of the Pride. After narrowly escaping the destruction of the Marine Vivarium, the Runaways were immediately apprehended by Captain America and placed into foster care. Additionally, Old Lace was taken away from Arsenic. Weeks later after a text message from Karolina, the Runaways reconvened at the Griffith Observatory. Together they decided to retrieve Old Lace and the Leapfrog, and run away again. disguising Old Lace as a small dog]] During a trip to New York City to help Cloak, Nico used the Staff of One to disguise Old Lace as a small dog. Although Old Lace was fiercely loyal to Gert, she wandered off at one point when the Leapfrog's doors were left open. While searching for Old Lace, the Runaways encountered the X-Men and Emma Frost was able to located Old Lace and return her to the Runaways. with Old Lace]] Gert's Death During the Runaways' mission to rescue Molly Pride, Chase ran into the burning Griffith Observatory to rescue his friends. However, Nico, Xavin, and Molly had already escaped, leaving Chase to face off with a young Geoffrey Wilder. Gert and Old Lace went in after him resulting in Geoffrey throwing a knife directly into Gert's chest. Before she died, she successfully transferred her telepathic connection with Old Lace to Chase Stein. After Gert's death, Chase began using Old Lace in a much more angry and aggressive manner, even going so far as to command Old Lace to rip an enemy's throat out. When Chase ordered her to keep the other Runaways from interfering with his deal with the Gibborim, Karolina managed to talk Old Lace out of it, saying that everyone can choose to disobey. ]] Disappearance and Return When the Runaways relocated to the Malibu House, Old Lace was apparently killed attempting to protect Klara Prast from a crashing unmanned aircraft. Although Chase felt her heart stop, Old Lace was actually transported to Dinosaur World by the Hag of the Pits. Months later, Chase Stein felt that Old Lace was still alive through their psychic connection. To find Old Lace, the Runaways sought out the assistance of Reptil and the Avengers Academy. With Dr. Hank Pym time machine, Reptil's Fossilized Amulet, and Nico Minoru's magic, a portal was opened to another dimension, both teams went inside and found Old Lace, alive and healthy. reunited with Old Lace]] During Chase and Nico's absence, Old Lace became very melancholic and barely ate. Since Chase Stein was able to rescue a dying Gert from the burning Griffith Observatory, Gert has been reunited with Old Lace, reforming their close bond and telepathic link. Old Lace stayed with Gert when she decided to live with Molly Hayes and her grandmother. After the Runaways defeated Dr. Hayes, Old Lace ate most of her army of telepathic cats. | Powers = Old Lace is a genetically engineered dinosaur from the 87th Century commissioned by the Yorkes using their 4-D Time Portico to protect Gert in case of their deaths. Old Lace has the following abilities: * Telepathic and Empathic Link: Old Lace is telepathically and empathically linked to Gertrude Yorkes. This empathic bond between Old Lace and Gertrude allows for mental communication. Additionally, Old Lace is fiercely loyal to Gert, and has been programmed not to harm any member of the Yorkes immediate family. Old Lace can feel the emotions of her owner, such as sadness when Karolina left, and anger when Nico and Chase's kiss was revealed. However, Gert and Old Lace also share the pain any injuries they other sustains. This link was psychically passed onto Chase Stein just before Gert's death. Since her return, this link seems to have restored between Gert and Old Lace. | Abilities = | Strength = | Weaknesses = * Old Lace is physically incapable of harming anyone in Gert's immediate family. finally getting Old Lace's name]] | Equipment = | Transportation = | Weapons = | Notes = | Trivia = * The Yorkes paid for Old Lace in doubloons. * Gert's codename "Arsenic" and the name of her pet dinosaur "Old Lace" were chosen as a reference to the 1944 dark comedy Arsenic and Old Lace directed by Frank Capra. Based on the play of the same name, the film is about a man that learns on his wedding day that bride-to-be has homicidal aunts and a family history of insanity. explaining that Old Lace is Deinonychus not a Velociraptor]] * Although Old Lace was originally mistaken as a Velociraptor, she is, in fact, a Deinonychus. This misunderstanding is likely a reference to the 1993 film Jurassic Park. Whereas Velociraptors are generally a small breed of dinosaur, the film depicts them as a larger/human-sized species more closely resembling the Velociraptor's distant genetic cousins, the Deinonychus or the Utahraptor. | Marvel = | Wikipedia = | Links = }} Category:Formerly Deceased Category:Dinosaurs Category:Time Travelers Category:Pets Category:Genetically Engineered